Lesson 22 - Open and Close

Baakinan waasenigan - Open the window.
Baakinan - Open it or them.
Baakinan izhgwaandem - Open the door.
Gibaan waasenigan - Close the window.
Gibaan - Close it or them.
Gibaan izhgwaandem - Close the door.
Gibaan waaseniganan - Close the windows.
Baakinamog izhgwaandem - Open the door you people.
Baakinamog waasenigan - Open the window you people.
Bi-gibaan izhgwaandem - Come close the door.
Ando-gibaan izhgwaandem - Go close the door.
Ando-gibaan izhgwaandem zhemag - Go close the door immediately.
Gego gibaanken izhgwaandem - Don't close the door.
Gego baakinankeg iniwe waaseniganan - Don't open those windows you people.

New Words:

Note.

In English statements like i see it, you close it, etc,
consist of three words. In Ojibwe such statements consist of only one word.
And this word is a TI verb (transitive inanimate verb).

As you already know, Ojibwe verbs add personal affixes to mark a subject (a person performing an action). This subject could be either animate or inanimate. And there are two categories of verbs (VAI and VII) for these two types of subjects.

Two other categories of verbs in Ojibwe deal with animate and inanimate objects of verbs (a person or an object that is acted upon by the subject). The ability of verbs to add objects is called transitivity. Thus transitivity and animation are two main features of Ojibwe verbs. And only transitive verbs are used when there is an object towards which an action is directed (e.g.: a door,
a window, a boat, a house, etc.)

Verbs used with inanimate objects are called transitive inanimate verbs (TI verbs, or VTI).

When you describe an action, which is directed towards any inanimate thing (an object), you need to use a TI verb even if this object is mentioned in the statement simply as it.

The Imperative (commands) for TI verbs is formed with suffixes:

Positive

Prohibitive

you singl:

(verb)-an/-n

gego (verb)-anken/-ken

you pl:

(verb)-amog/-og

gego (verb)-ankeg/-keg

we:

(verb)-andaa/-daa

gego (verb)-anzidaa/-sidaa

There are two classes of TI verbs depending on either a verb stem ends in a consonant (class 1), or in a vowel (class 2).